


Fragile Gods

by oracular_vernacular



Series: Ungentle Descent [3]
Category: Star Wars, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Dubious Ethics, F/M, Kylo Ren Angst, Moral Ambiguity, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Smut, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Voice Hearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23183491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oracular_vernacular/pseuds/oracular_vernacular
Summary: Two sit upon the throne of the First Order. Together, they intend to eliminate the Resistance and establish their sovereignty once and for all. Their reign is to be unlike any other in the history of the galaxy; two terrifying creatures ever striking up a balance between them, unmatched in both power and skill.But the past does not die so easily, and control is the greatest threat to equilibrium.
Relationships: Ben Solo | Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s), Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Ungentle Descent [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1449892
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was bright on the surface of Corellia, rendering the deep and yellowish greens of the foliage exceptionally vivid. It might have been a very beautiful day, but under her mask Kane Ares felt the threads of the Force to be increasingly taut in anticipation. Several thousand clicks outside the capital, her division was preparing.

“Imperator,” came the voice of her Captain, a white-blonde Czerialan named Jalud. He kept his distance, as she was perched on a high stone in meditation and interrupting her in such a state was, occasionally, reckless.

“Speak.” He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in when she said it. 

“There have been two Peace and Security officers found scouting since our arrival. They are both dead, but I’m concerned they’ve been made aware of our presence.” 

“I have felt it,” Ares replied, not turning back to look at him. “They suspect, but they do not know. We’ll move our attack to twilight, in six hours.” 

“A scout team is reporting that they believe they’ve found a third tracker as of about five minutes ago, ma’am.” Now she turned those milky, uncanny eyes to him. Her mask rendered her so unreadable that his heart rate doubled under her blind-yet-not gaze, and he wondered if he would survive to command his squadron in the imminent battle. Despite his confidence in their victory, there was an element of fear that never left the air around Kane Ares.

“Thank you for informing me, Captain. In that case, we will launch our assault now.” 

\-----

Three hours later, the sun was still beating down on Coronet City, but now it threw its light on pools of blood and the swiftly bloating bodies of Peace and Security officers and white trooper armor. Inside the municipal building, the carnage was distracting from the view. 

Ares stood alone in a room full of corpses. Before her, three noblemen lay crumpled on their own floor. Her saber hilts were in her hands, but the blades had been retracted moments before. She lifted a comm to her masked face. 

“Grand Admiral, we have secured Coronet City.” 

“That is much sooner than planned, Imperator.” 

“We risked the loss of our ambush, so I chose to alter the timeline.”

“Losses?” 

“Minimal, sir.” 

“Impressive. Have you spoken to the Chancellor?” 

“He is not present, sir. It appears he is at his summer home.” 

“And you are going there next, I presume?” 

“Of course, sir.” 

“I expect a report once your objective is met, Ares.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The commlink buzzed; the connection was dropped. Now she pressed another button, changing frequency. 

“Captain, pull the division out. We’re going to the country.” 

“Yes, Imperator.” 

\-----

The Chancellor of Corellia was on his knees in his opulent sitting room. Outside the same sun that danced over the trees and the remains of the Peace and Security Forces was pushing its light into the windows, crowding the room with its brilliance. His hands clawed at the rug, reached towards Ares’ boots in vain. 

“It-- it burns!” he howled, though nothing at all appeared to be wrong with him. 

“Shall I repeat my statement, Sarkon?” Her voice was a cold knife in his head, a stark contrast to the way his skin felt like it was blistering in the afternoon sunlight.

“Please! Please! The-- my  _ face-- _ ” 

“You must relinquish your connection to the New Republic and pledge tithe to the First Order, chancellor, or I must end your life. These are very simple terms.”

“Noo! It’s burning!  _ Please! _ ”

“There is no third option.” 

“Corellia cannot-- submit--” 

“Come now, Sarkon. This world is crawling with crime syndicates. Its underbelly would be wiped clean under the discipline of the First Order.” 

“NO!” he howled, persistent despite the tears running down his eyes. In Kane’s Force-granted sight, his skin was blistering and great chunks of charred flesh were all but falling off of him. 

“Perhaps Corellia could do with a change in its leadership, then,” she mused. 

“Kill me, if you must!” Sarkon burbled. “Please! It BURNS!”

“You mistake my statement for mercy, Sarkon.” She twirled one saber hilt in her right hand and seemed to consider cutting his suffering off short despite her words. But then the man gave a terrible scream, so loud and twisted in his collapsing throat that several birds outside the window fled the tree they were perched in with a rustle of feathers and squawks. She almost laughed. 

“Ma’am,” came the voice of Jalud from the entrance to the room.

“That’s the second time you’ve approached me from behind today, Captain,” Kane warned without turning.

“I’m sorry, Imperator. I only wished to report that you have a hail from Grand Admiral Thrawn.” Sarkon continued to scream and wail, and Jalud’s eyes flickered between his ostensibly unharmed body and the powerful figure of his commanding officer. 

“Tell him I will answer him presently.” She was still looking at the man she’d come here to kill. “I suppose you have Thrawn to thank for the mercy you receive today, Sarkon.” 

In a flash of orange light, the Chancellor was dead. 


	2. Chapter 2

For the first time since the day he’d pledged his fealty to Snoke, Kylo Ren was meeting with the esteemed Grand Admirals of his own fleet. Their ties with the old Empire ran deep. The Order itself was the fruit of their labor, among others. One of whom was Armitage Hux’s father, who was a hateful man even to his son, and yet in light of these guests the redhead was even more proud than usual.

It was already getting on Ren’s nerves. He sat at the head of the table in his command room, glaring darkly out the sweeping window at the surface of Tah’Nuhna as it smoldered in the wake of Hux’s attack. The Admiral sat in his own seat on the right side of the table, posture very much at attention. Other high-ranking officers were present as well, though only a few. This was a war room, and only the very highest orders issued from its threshold. 

Finally the door slid open. First to enter was Grand Admiral Sloane, a very hard woman with a streak of gray in her black, tightly curling hair. She looked younger than she was; sharp eyes told much more about her history than her smooth, dark skin. Ren knew that she was well-respected, intelligent, and likely the best diplomat in the room. She had once been under consideration to become the Supreme Leader. 

Behind her was the nearly mythical Grand Admiral Thrawn. He did not quite admit it to himself, but Kylo was somewhat in awe of the Chiss. His reputation was unlike any other-- and rightly so. His mind was like a knife, quicker and more deadly even. More than that, he was a favored servant of Darth Vader because of his impressive ability to think through almost every fathomable (and sometimes unfathomable) outcome of a situation, and prepare or adapt enough to come out unscathed if not victorious. Ren met Thrawn’s red eyes, situated in his imposing blue face, and despite their lack of Force sensitivity they seemed to see with a nearly unnatural clarity. 

“Grand Admirals,” said Hux as he and the other officials stood and gave nods of respect. Ren noticed that the ginger gave an extra pointed look to Sloane, and she returned it before standing in front of her chair to his left. All eyes turned to the only seated figure in the room. 

“Supreme Leader,” Sloane said, and another series of nods directed themselves towards Kylo. He waved his hand, and they all took their seats. 

“How goes the Core campaign, Grand Admirals?” he asked, feeling the vague wish that Kane were present. She was better at this sort of thing, and he knew it. 

“Very well, sir,” replied Sloane. “We’ve finally begun to sway Dowut, after all their years of neutrality. Coruscant finally begins to feel the fear our armies can inspire, and many of the other worlds previously aligned with the New Republic will come with it. Corellia remains ours, as does Eufornis Major and, with some persuasion, Duro.” 

At the mention of Kane Ares’ homeworld, Kylo felt himself tense. 

“Is Duro an asset to us?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know its history with the Separatists left it in shambles for quite some time.” 

“That instability is what made it one of the first planets to fall under control of the Empire many years ago, and now the First Order. The persuasion I mentioned was one of many victories of your co-regent, early on in her military career.” Now he was really paying attention.

“You’ll have to apprise me, then, as I was kept quite occupied by my predecessor with very particular concerns of his. Supreme Leader Ares’ history is not well known to me, as mine is not well known to her.” 

“When she was Imperator, she was under my command,” said Thrawn. His voice commanded the room, soft as it was, and it carried with it a strange accent unlike any Kylo had heard before. “She is an exceptionally gifted tactician. It came very naturally to her. Duro was her first chance to command ground forces. The closest that planet ever came to unity was under Imperial rule. Before that, it was famously the only core world which still struggled with infighting amongst its native factions.” 

“This, I have heard,” growled Kylo. 

“Supreme Leader Ares took out the largest of their sovereigns at all once, commanding four seperate units from the ground. It took her less than a cycle to secure the planet. What leaders remained all pledged their loyalty to us, and unified under the rule of the First Order.” His red eyes pierced Kylo’s. “It is perhaps obvious why she ascended to the rank of Imperator so quickly. Her prior success in the Navy translated very quickly onto the ground, though I believe she preferred the Army.” 

“Hm, yes. Standing on a command deck isn’t her style,” Ren mused, thinking of the sheer magnitude of energy contained in his perpetually stoic lover. Really, it wasn’t his favorite either. They both liked to feel the Force move them through combat, liked to look back at a path of corpses laid out as evidence of their power. But it struck him as entirely in-character for Snoke to allow a girl he’d abducted and robbed of her memories to conquer her own homeworld for his benefit. To shed the blood of her family on its native soil unwittingly. It brought bile to his throat. 

“It was Supreme Leader Ares who secured many of the systems I mentioned,” said Sloane. “When Snoke summoned her here, we were concerned about the progress of the campaign. Troopers under her command were confident of their victory, and this seemed to improve their overall performance.” 

“She was brought here to aid me, and our mission from Snoke remains pivotal to the success of the First Order and the dying gasps of the Resistance,” Ren said sharply. “The Force is strong with the girl we seek.” He did not miss the skeptical brows around the table, particularly not from Hux or Sloane. Thrawn, however, showed no sign of doubt. 

“Supreme Leader, the girl cannot win a war single-handedly--” But before the obnoxious redhead could continue to make his point, he began to choke on the air. **_They always reach up and try to grab at nothing,_ ** chuckled a sardonic little voice in his ear.

“I assume our Grand Admirals here present have witnessed the power of the Force when they served under my grandfather and the Emperor?” He did not look at Hux, who was purpling quickly, but stared intently at his visitors. 

“Indeed,” said Thrawn, soft and very sure. 

“Aye,” added Sloane, who appeared to be less skeptical all of a sudden. Just as Hux was seeing stars and very close to unconsciousness, Kylo released the Force’s grip on his neck. 

“Myself and Kane Ares both agree that Rey is more powerful than she knows, and despite her lack of training she has shown her aptitude. Do not question me again, Admiral. We fight this war on all fronts, both yours and mine.” He cast a very dark look at Hux, who was coughing and clutching his neck. 

“In the meantime,” Sloane began, and he turned his eyes back towards her. “I’ve been informed that the Resistance has gathered on Ryloth, and Supreme Leader Ares plans to lead the assault. If I may ask, sir, will she be returning to the core soon?” 

“No,” growled Ren. “But I believe Admiral Hux has had designs to campaign in the core for some time now. With a tactician of Ares’ caliber at my side, the Resistance stands no chance. In the meantime, I have faith that you, Grand Admirals, can continue your intimidation rounds with Hux’s assistance.” The two visitors glanced between themselves, then over at the ginger who had finally recovered his breath. Sloane appeared very dubious, but was too intelligent to protest. Thrawn was less readable.  **_Perhaps the Chiss can whip this cur into shape,_ ** hissed another voice.  **_And being rid of him will certainly be refreshing._ ** “And,” he continued, “Supreme Leader Ares has expressed a desire to remain apprised of your campaign, and to offer her expert council in your tactical planning. She spoke this as though she trusted she would not have to give any direct orders due to uncertainty or opposition.” 

“Thank you, sir,” said Thrawn. “Who will maintain control of your Navy while the Admiral is serving with us, may I ask?” 

“Whomever I ask to, Grand Admiral.” Kylo wondered at this question. He felt there was no harm in answering it, really, but he wasn’t interested in setting a precedent for being questioned too much by his subordinates. The Chiss only nodded with appropriate deference. 

“Yes, sir.” 

“If that is all, then we should see to other matters,” Kylo said, and as he stood from his seat the entire room stood with him. “I would speak to you alone, Thrawn.” Once again the blue face and red eyes were inscrutable, and the others filed out. Once the room was empty, Kylo walked over to the window to cross his arms behind his back and look out over the ash-choked surface of Tah’Nuhna. 

“At your service, Supreme Leader.” He saw Thrawn’s reflection nod behind him.

“Tell me more of Ares’ time in the core,” Kylo ordered. “It’s not that I wouldn’t ask her myself, more that I am interested in her former superior’s evaluation of her strengths.” 

“Would this information aid you in your co-regency, sir? I will answer regardless, but I would prefer not to do so without understanding of your purpose.”  **_He is very keen, this one._ **

“I believe very much that it would.” 


	3. Chapter 3

In the cockpit of an Upsilon-class command shuttle, Kane Ares was adjusting her armor. It was not as heavy as standard trooper armor, in fact it was really only a chest plate and tall shin-guards over her boots and other clothes. It showed her scarred arms, beneath a short rank cloak and a red and black pauldron that marked her as Imperator. But the Force was surely her true armor. The rest of the 709th Legion was in the shuttle’s hangar, standing at the ready. By her side at the helm was an older man in dated Storm Trooper armor, all but his helmet. His gruff face and bald head were covered in scars.

“Captain Ruthford,” began the Supreme Leader, “You were at the conquest of Bethany, were you not?” 

“Yes ma’am, I was.”

“Both with Lord Vader and Supreme Leader Ren years later?”

“Indeed, ma’am.”

“I’ve not heard a first-hand account of those battles. Most of the rumors in the core about the Unknown Regions, I mistrusted. News gets garbled over half a galaxy.” She wasn’t looking at him, and her gray eyes were impossible to read. The old Captain was used to the presence of ruthlessness, but hers was a new breed even to him.

“Vader managed to subdue the Bethany. Many thousands of lives were wasted in the effort,” he said. 

“Yet the zillo beast pushed the Imperial army back.” 

“Aye, it did. But the loss of their king is what kept them down awhile.” 

“And it was Ren who defeated the zillo.” This wasn’t a question, but he glanced over at her. Still she seemed to be looking out the window at the passing blur of hyperspace-- whether she actually  _ saw _ anything, he never could quite figure out-- but a kind of musing had come over her expression. 

“Supreme Leader Ren thinks beyond the confines of his predecessors, sometimes.” Ruthford could remember watching the young commander leap out of the back of his shuttle and into the gaping maw of the beast. His response had been not much more than annoyed resignation, so when the man cut his way out of its innards his surprise had left that much more of an impression. 

“He always did follow his impulses.” The slightest smirk was on her face, but the captain furrowed a brow, confused by her statement. He didn’t have time to ask about it before she leveled another query. “Do you know much about his military history? It seems I have some catching up to do, as we served the Order so very far from one another for most of our time here.” This question confused the old man even more, as it was in contradiction to the previous one, but he shelved his concern for the time being.

“Ren was very successful in the Unknown Regions because of that quality of thinking differently, and because the people out here can be much more primitive and so respond to brutality,” he said. “His impulses seemed wild inside a battle cruiser, but they served him well on the ground. He never seemed afraid. He brought almost a dozen planets into our rule.” 

“Mm. He isn’t a diplomat, that’s for certain. Snoke seems to have placed both of us well,” she replied, thoughtful. 

“Ma’am, if I may speak freely?”

“Certainly, Captain.” 

“I know Supreme Leader Ren strove to emulate and surpass Vader. He’s quite transparent about that, and in some ways he did succeed where his predecessor failed, so I mean no insult to him when I say this. But you remind me of Lord Vader more than he does.” Now, she turned her face ever so slightly towards him. 

“Why is that?” She seemed only curious, and he vaguely hoped that he wasn’t walking into a trap.

“Because you are more composed, more of a tactician. Vader was diligent, and ruthless both in battle and diplomacy. You co-regent rules with something less… precise.” It was time for him to look out the window at the stars, and feel her blind eyes on him the way everyone seemed to, like she was seeing in spite of them. 

“Astute, Ruthford. Does this trouble you?” Finally her opacity was really starting to feel like a trap, and he wished he’d kept his fool mouth shut. But it was too late now.

“Sometimes I wonder how you will balance one another. But, we’ve never had co-regents before. Only one Emperor-- and now, Supreme Leader-- and a powerful right hand. I suppose it’s hard for me to fathom it. But,” he added, “it isn’t my place to question your leadership, Supreme Leader Ares. I know that.” 

“You’re right, it isn’t your place.” Her voice had gone a little chilly, and he knew that she was reminding him of that hierarchy. But, and it was again so much like Vader, she also knew that he could tell. She trusted that he, her subordinate in every respect, would know what her tone really meant. There was no need to make a show of it, which was one way that Ren had often differed from his role model. Her face turned back ahead, towards space. “However, I understand your concerns. I believe they are shared by many in our ranks, in fact. But it is our differences, mine and Ren’s, that will make us better leaders together than Snoke was alone, or Palpatine before him.” 

Ruthford glanced over at her again, a newfound respect in his eyes. He knew Ares was keen, in fact frighteningly so, but her confidence and perception struck him. If he’d been honest, he thought perhaps that she was better suited to the role than Ren-- as he’d thought Thrawn was better suited to it than Snoke. But then, the boy did seem calmer, more focused in Ares’ presence. Perhaps they would prove his worries wrong.

“How long before we reach Ryloth?” she asked after a moment. She sounded all business once more, no longer casually bantering-- if anything Kane Ares did was ever truly casual. 

“Ten minutes at most,” he replied. “We’ll be coming in close to atmo, to give them as little time to prepare as possible.” 

“Very good, Captain. I look forward to seeing your skill on the ground.” He’d always heard that fighting under Ares gave the troopers a surge of confidence. At that moment, he felt it himself. It was a surprise, after years of serving this army with equal parts cynicism and stubborn perseverance. 

“Yes, ma’am.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the smut begins, it's super enthusiastically consensual at the moment.

The  _ Paramount, _ now the First Order flagship in the wake of the  _ Supremacy’ _ s destruction, arrived at Ryloth only moments after the battle ended. Kylo felt his heart thudding in his chest, his desire to know the outcome and if Ares had managed to capture Rey clawing at his patience. 

“Kane, what’s your status?” he said into his comlink as soon as the frequency was live.

“Some of them fled before we arrived, including the girl and General Organa.” His chest twisted up, angry-- and yet relieved that Ares hadn’t come upon his past before he had. “I believe they left on their own mission, because they had no way to know we were coming. The rest are all dead, but one.” That, he could well believe. He growled, frustrated.

“Any sign of where they’ve gone?” 

“Not yet, but I’ve sent four units out to track them and I plan to interrogate the prisoner. I thought you might like to assist me,” she replied, voice falling low. Heat bloomed in his groin at the sound, the idea of sharing an interrogation table with her. Something else panged, too, and it might have been fear. He’d witnessed her break minds before, after all. But all of his most visceral feelings tied themselves together with her.

“Return to me, first,” he purred. 

“We depart the surface momentarily.” And the chirp of the comlink meant the connection was terminated. He was still in the conference room, having lingered to be alone and ponder the information Thrawn had divulged before the two Grand Admirals left for the core and they’d made the jump to Ryloth. His lover’s history was even more colorful than he’d previously heard, it seemed, and being the Chiss’ favored general had only honed her perception even more. He wondered if her mind worked only in perpetual, emerging strategies, plans within plans upon plans. Between Snoke and Thrawn, she was a knife that never saw a sheath.

And now she was beside him upon the throne of the entire galaxy.

When Kane arrived, of course, she knew where to find him. The door slid open with a hiss, and she came to him still in her armor, blood in her mouth. Her gray eyes were burning with the heat of battle, a fire he’d never seen before. It consumed him immediately.

He took her lips, tasted the copper on them. Her body crushed against his with urgency, and he met her enthusiasm. She wove her hands into his hair and pulled it sharply, sending a shock down his spine. 

“I want you inside me,” she growled into his mouth. “Now.” His hand was already at her bum, snaking between its cheeks to rub against her entrance through her clothing. But she curled her hips up against his, pressure on the hardness in his trousers, and he grew less interested in teasing her. Then she pushed his chest bodily with her ever-surprising strength, and his back hit the wall. Her hand was already at his clothing, pulling open the fabric that constrained his swollen, needy cock. 

“Fuck,” he hissed as she gripped it ungently, pulling slowly from base to tip.

“I said  _ now. _ ” Her breath was hot in his ear, and he gripped at her trousers to pull them down over her ass. Just to push back-- because he couldn't help it, but also because he knew she liked it-- he tightened his grip on her and spun them around until she was the one with her back against the wall.

“You wish is my command, Imperator.” Kylo hoisted up one of her legs, tugging her clothes out of the way enough that he could press his erection against the slick mound of her cunt. She wrapped her leg around him, pulling his face down to hers so she could pierce his eyes with her otherworldly stare. He barely teased her, rubbing his cock against her entrance just long enough to feel her clench, ready to fight for it if she needed to-- then shifted his hips and drove inside her without prelude. She snarled, nails digging into his temples and chin, and ground her hips to meet him.

“I want to fight beside you,” she said, breathless as he started to thrust. “I want to feel-- fuck-- feel you--”

“You want-- shit-- to watch me-- drive a saber-- through my enemies?” His pace was quick, feral with energy.

“Yes!” If she was responding to his words or his girth pushing against her insides, he couldn't tell. Both seemed likely. 

“I want to watch you,” he panted. “Want to see-- see your perfect body move-- cut through legions--  _ rrrgh--  _ like it’s nothing.”

“I’ll ruin-- entire armies-- for you, Kylo--  _ fuck-- _ ” He could look nowhere but into the endless fog of Kane’s eyes as she spoke, could feel nothing but the rising need to worship her and devour her at once. Her hips were working in tandem with his, just as driven by that hunger. He changed his rhythm, started to drive hard and deep with a satisfying smacking sound of flesh against flesh.

“Next time--”  _ smack-- _ “I’ll let--”  _ smack-- _ “them watch me--”  _ smack-- _ “fuck you--”  _ smack--  _ “on--”  _ smack-- _ “the battlefield--”  _ smack-- _

“Shit!” she yelped, gasping between his powerful thrusts. “Fuck! Yes! Don’t! Stop!”

“You’d--”  _ smack-- _ “like that--”  _ smack-- _ “wouldn’t you?” 

“FUCK!” She clawed at his shoulder, yanked at his hair as she began to howl with escalating pleasure. Still she tried to drive her hips into his, as though she wanted him deep enough to taste him in her mouth. “Oh fuck, I’m--”

There it was, the flutter of her eyelashes as she was overtaken by her climax. Massive pressure increased around his length as he rutted harder, and Kylo snarled as watching her go rigid and then limp in his arms drove him right over the edge. His last thrusts got quicker, more desperate as he came, and then leaned against her with his face on her neck, sucking in air. 

“My perfect warrior queen,” he murmured into her flesh. “You taste like blood.”

“It’s my own,” she replied. “I dove to avoid a blast, and took a target out as I went.” His nose dragged along by her ear before he kissed her again, deep and slow as if he wanted to draw the rest of the blood out of her. She gripped his shoulders with biting fingers, moving her leg back to the ground as he slid out of her. 

“Next time someone arrives before a ground assault, I’ll make them wait.” His massive hands were still on her hips, thumbs digging into the flesh below her hip bones. They panted in time with each other, eyes locked. 

“It was good of you to receive the admirals,” she assured him. “But, you don’t have to be so good.” Now a smirk was on her lips, and he took the bottom one between his teeth for a moment with a soft growl.

“Thrawn speaks highly of you. They both do, but especially him.” 

“I’d speak highly of Thrawn, if I needed to, but I believe his reputation precedes me.” Now her hands slid back up to his face, and her grip was gentler but no less urgent. “Though, I hate him just a little for robbing me of the chance to bleed beside you, today.” 

“Soon,” he cooed. “Now, take me to this prisoner of yours.” 


	5. Chapter 5

Through the one-way viewing window, Kylo and Kane stood watching a lower-level Lieutenant beginning his interrogation of a man, strapped to the table and already covered in dirt and soot and traces of blood.

“This prisoner may be of special interest to you, as I heard he caused some trouble early on during your pursuit of the map to Ahch-To,” the Imperator said, half a smirk lurking at the corner of her mouth. “He’s the former storm trooper designated FN-2187.”

“Yes, I’m very interested,” Kylo murmured in reply, eyes riveted as the officer struck the man in the face before prodding him with an electrical instrument. FN-2187 clenched his teeth, swallowing his yelps of pain. “Why did you grant this officer permission to interrogate him?”

“It’s best to wear them down before granting them the honor of a formal interrogation by a high-ranking official. It weakens their resolve physically, and the body and mind are interlinked. If a less skilled interrogator can break them, their mental resolve was not strong to begin with.” He glanced at her, and in the wake of Thrawn’s review he noticed more and more how cold and precise her methods were. It was diametrically opposed to his style, one of fury and flourish. 

“And you revert to mental tactics when you begin?” he asked.

“Yes. It gives a false sense of reprieve, and I can usually tell when another round of physical pain is necessary to create confusion and a sense of unpredictability. This heightens their physical stress response, which tires them even more. Their body is a weapon as much as my mind.” Now her blank grey eyes turned to him. “I would like to begin first. He doesn’t know me yet.” 

“After you.” He gestured towards the door, and she turned to enter.

FN-2187 was facing away from the door when she walked in, and the officer stood at attention.

“Supreme Leader, the prisoner--”

Without a word, she flicked her hand to motion him out of the room. 

“Yes ma’am,” the officer muttered, replacing his instruments in the nearby alcove where tools of interrogation were kept and scuttling past her to exit. She waited until the door closed with a hiss, and continued to stand where the prisoner could not see her for a long, quiet moment. 

“Whatever you want from me, you won’t get it.” He was panting, head hanging, but FN-2187 was defiant as ever. With slowly paced steps, heels of her boots just barely thudding on the floor, Kane circled around to the front of the table with all the poise and scrutiny of a predator. At last she stood still before him, still in her battle-scuffed armor, and his eyes came up to look at her. Another long moment, silent but for the distant and omnipresent hum of the ship’s engines. “Who are you?” the man asked finally. His confusion-- the words Supreme Leader had led him to believe it would be Kylo Ren before him, after all-- was evident.

“I am Kane Ares, Imperator of the First Order army.”

“That guy said--”

“I am also the Supreme Leader of the First Order,” she said, “and you are FN-2187, though I’m certain you’ve taken a civilian name now. Finn, is it?”

“So you’ve heard of me?” He was almost joking, but was too weak to do more than grin.

“You’re quite famous, yes. Though defection was not supposed to put you back here, was it?” She canted her head just a little, eyes piercing him despite their cloudiness.

“What do you mean?” Finn looked wary now, almost embarrassed. 

“I thought you were reluctant to rejoin the fight. Rather make a little coin working in the outer rim. Perhaps retire to a backwater moon, farm something?” He stared at her, silent, unsure. “We would have reached anywhere you went eventually, I think you know that. Not that it stopped you, of course. But you ended up with the Resistance. I’m curious,”-- she sat down on the bench a couple of yards before him, crossing her legs, hands in her lap, casual as you please-- “what made you angry enough to return to the front lines?” 

“I dunno, maybe it was when Kylo Ren cut me open and tried to kill one of my best friends,” he replied, scowling. 

“No.” Kane shook her head slightly. “It was something else. Something much deeper, I think. You were a storm strooper, after all. Where are you from, Finn?”

“You know how the program works. I don’t know where I’m from, because the First Order took me when I was just a little kid. I don’t know who my parents were.”

“Yes, that is true. Fascinating that conditioning didn’t seem to hold its sway with you.” Kylo listened intently through the comm, growing slightly impatient. Why was she speaking to him like this, rather than asking about the Resistance? But his curiosity held its sway, for now. 

“Yeah, well, conscripting child soldiers is a shitty thing to do. At least I still know right from wrong.” Finn glowered at her.

“I would prefer we did not do so,” she replied, and Kylo raised a brow on the other side of the glass.

“You wouldn’t?” Now the prisoner was properly confused.

“No. I would prefer we had enthusiastic young troopers enlist. Belief is much more compelling than conditioning, as you yourself have proven.” She crossed her wrists in her lap, leaning back a little where she sat. “But you believe in the girl, don’t you?”

“I believe in the Resistance,” Finn replied, brow furrowing once more.

“That girl  _ is _ the Resistance. General Organa’s rallying cries aren’t being heard anymore. But she’s no fool. She’s going to keep trying, even if it means someone else blows the horn.” 

“I’m not going to tell you where she’s going.” 

“Where is left for her to go? More and more of the core worlds are tributary to the First Order, I saw to that myself. They are afraid. As should you be.” Now the air was cold around him, and his limbs began to shiver with it. “This girl, Rey, she’s too young to be reassuring to what remains of your allies. You’re protecting futile efforts to resist something you don’t understand.”

“What’s not to understand about the First Order?” Finn spat. “You want control of everything, that much is obvious, and we believe in freedom!”

“In case you haven’t noticed, the First Order is under new management. Snoke had his own purposes. You assume ours are the same?” 

Kylo stared at her, surprised by her tactic. Lying wasn’t something he could ever remember her doing, but this was a prelude to a false reassurance if anything was. Then, a voice murmured into his ear.

**_What if she’s not lying?_ **

“You’re doing the exact same thing Snoke was doing, so far,” the prisoner pointed out.

“If our most aggressive detractors run, it behooves us to pursue them. Ever this cycle continues, power and resistance always devouring each other. I thought the Resistance would be wiser than that. Seems I was wrong. I did not conquer worlds to have my heels bitten by rabid idealists who won’t seek new ways of attaining those ideals.” He realized the genius of Kane’s approach-- whether she was lying or not, her calm demeanor and strangely personal conversation slipped into Finn’s mind as powerfully as her words. Despite his misgivings, Kylo could feel the cracks in Finn’s resolve widening, doubt crowding his conviction. He could almost push through, almost…

“You still conquered them, that’s the problem,” Finn growled.

“Under Snoke’s orders. Until recently, I had little other recourse. Now, however, I have many more options.” 

“Was Snoke so very powerful?” His eyes narrowed, trying to make his question a jab.

“Yes.” This word carried more venom than any other she’s spoken so far, and that struck Finn. His brow furrowed. “And he was so very cruel. You cannot imagine how cruel. It took three powerful Force users to orchestrate his death.”

“Well, shit, that’s true--” 

Before he could continue his sentence, his eyes blew open and he went stiff, groans of pain straining in his throat. Kane raised an eyebrow, and the door behind the interrogation table slid open. Kylo entered the room, his gloved hand leveled at the prisoner. 

“They’re headed to Ajan Kloss,” he said. “Thank you, Supreme Leader Ares.”

“Of course, Supreme Leader Ren.” She almost smiled, nodding to him with her trademark formality. Finn tried to growl, but he was still struggling against Kylo’s Force-grip. “Shall we adjourn to discuss strategy?”

“Yes. I’ll have this one put in an isolation cell where he belongs.” 

After the door shut behind them, Finn’s howl of defeat echoed behind the steel.


End file.
